Gujarat National Law University, with its academic excellence and enthusiastic students
and staff, is keen to render its cooperation and is eager to have collaboration
with the State Legislature and also with the justice delivery mechanism of the State.
To meet this end, a Committee titled, Swarnim Gujarat Committee on Legal Reforms
has, recently, been constituted by GNLU. In view of the these broad objectives,
the Swarnim Gujarat Committee on Legal Reforms, on behalf of, Gujarat National Law
University proposes a partnership with the Government of Gujarat, and with the Gujarat
State Legal Services Authority. Mr Ravindra Kumar Singh, Assistant Professor of
Law, is the Convenor of this Committee.
This Committee is an Umbrella Committee, which has, under its purview, various projects,
relating to legislative and judicial development. To congregate the afore-mentioned
broad objectives and to carry out the ‘in-hand’ projects, the Swarnim Gujarat Committee
on Legal Reforms has constituted a few Sub-Committees.
There are some faculty members and some student members in each of the Sub-Committees
mentioned below:
This Sub-Committee has been set up with an objective to contribute to the speedy
and effective disposal of cases in the State of Gujarat. At the moment, the main
objective of this Sub-Committee is to come out with pragmatic and workable recommendations
as to how the State of Gujarat can reduce the backlog of cases in the subordinate
courts by 1st May 2010.
It also envisages towards making Gujarat—a State free from the pendency of cases—by
ensuring speedy and efficient justice delivery system and by contributing towards
freeing the State from the shackles of long pending cases languishing in various
courts across Gujarat awaiting justice. Being a part of the legal academia in the
State, there lies a solemn responsibility on us to contribute towards this significant
cause in the State and make it a model for the other States to follow.
This inventiveness by GNLU is the first of its kind in India
for clearing the arrears of cases from the Courts. In India, no other university
has ever taken any initiative of this sort.
For the purpose of accomplishing the aforesaid objective, the Sub-Committee has
planned to conduct ‘Ahmedabad Pilot Project’ wherein
an extensive survey will be conducted in the district of Ahmedabad. For this, five
stake-holders have been identified—judges, lawyers, court-staff, litigants, and
police personnel. As a part of this survey, the student surveyors will be approaching
all the stake-holders, and on the basis of this survey (which will include responses
of the target-respondents, observation and information), the Committee will come
out with pragmatic, innovative and workable recommendations for the speedy disposal
of the backlog of cases.
A project titled ‘Effectiveness of Government Measures for
the Reduction of Court Cases’ has been awarded to Gujarat National Law University
by the Legal Department, Gujarat Government. The Swarnim Gujarat Committee on Legal
Reforms of the GNLU has been designated as the nodal Committee to carry
out the said project. The aim of this project is to assess the effectiveness of
Government measures for the reduction of court cases. Specific objectives sought
to be accomplished by this project are:
1) To assess the role of Lok Adalats in the administration
of justice.
2) To assess the role of Nari Adalats in the administration
of justice.
3) To assess the role of Fast – Track Courts in the
administration of justice.
4) To assess the role of Evening – Courts in the
administration of justice.
In order to carry out the afore-said project, the Committee has constituted a sub-Committee.
For the purpose of realizing the above objectives, the sub-Committee has planned
to conduct an extensive survey targeting all the stake-holders throughout the State
of Gujarat. Finally, the sub-Committee would come out with its final report. For
the purpose of this project, seven stake-holders have been identified—judges, lawyers,
court-staff, litigants, police personnel, media, and NGOs.
A Sub-Committee—Committee on Legislative Development and Innovation—has also
been constituted under the Swarnim Gujarat Committee on Legal Reforms. At
the moment, the Sub-Committee has, by and large, twofold objectives:
To study and scrutinize the Gujarat State laws which have become outdated or obsolete,
and to put forth necessary amendments to such laws. This objective also takes account
of the Acts of the Parliament where State amendments are possible.
To explore and determine the emerging areas on/for which there are no specific laws.
It also aims at preparing draft proposals for introduction of new legislations.
This would be an on-going endeavour.
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